One type of sewage treatment system operates using an aerobic bacterial process that breaks down waste materials into carbon dioxide and water. This aerobic treatment system has distinct advantages over the much more common anaerobic septic systems. The aerobic process is much faster and its products are less objectionable with regard to odor and flammability. U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,923,656 and 4,246,114, the disclosures of which are expressly incorporated herein in their entireties by reference, each disclose an aerobic waste treatment facility or system in which waste (often referred to as “wastewater”) is treated under aerobic conditions to transform the waste to an essentially clear effluent.
Despite the efficiency of this aerobic treatment system, treatment performance is partially dependent upon the habits of the user. This treatment system also relies upon the development and maintenance of heterotrophic microbial colonies to provide wastewater treatment. For example, two users who produce equal volumes of wastewater over a twenty-four hour period but have widely differing flows over shorter periods can have widely differing results from their treatment systems. If the first user lives and works where the treatment system is installed, wastewater flows to the treatment system generally constantly throughout the twenty-four hour period. If the second user works elsewhere from where the treatment system was installed, wastewater flows to the treatment system only during a portion of the twenty-four hour period when the user is at home. Thus, the second user has very large flow during portions of the period and no flow at all during portions of the period. This changing and at times excessive flow of the second user can result in both nuisance and maintenance issues while the first user does not experience any of these issues.
Although infrequent, the change in flow can cause nuisance issues, particularly the development of “foam,” which do not effect performance but may be considered nuisances by users and regulators. This foam may be a strain of bacteria that, while harmless, generates an aesthetic issue should it spill out of the system.
Excessive flow, which results from periods of intense wastewater production, can cause maintenance issues because excessive flow can reduce filtration of the effluent, leading to premature binding. This binding protects the environment by preventing ill-treated wastes from exiting the system but also creates additional maintenance demands because the filers must be replaced.
Thus, despite the efficiency of the aerobic waste treatment system, nuisance and maintenance issues may result from user habits and detract from customer acceptance of the treatment system. Accordingly, there is a need in the art for an improved aerobic waste treatment system.